Examining enrollment trends from fall 2012 to fall 2020 for institutions that receive federal financial aid, higher education lost some 1.7 million students, or 8.4% of total enrollment. Colleges that had enrollments of fewer than 1,000 lost 35% of their students. In turn, schools with enrollments of 1,000 to 5,000, between 5,000 and 19,999, and 20,000 to 29,999 lost 10%, 12% and 23% of their students, respectively. Alternatively, schools with more than 30,000 students actually grew their enrollment by 19%, adding some 760,000 to their rosters, collectively.
